Re: Opponent of School Board prayers dies, Aug. 10 Times:
Your efforts to honor a valued citizen of Hernando County of many years, Bob Flato, were seriously tarnished by the manner in which he was portrayed on the issue of prayer at School Board meetings.
As a longtime friend, and a school district employee who attended every board meeting at that time, I know factually that his opposition was to the form of prayer as it was presented by local clergy. He wished to have a nondenominational prayer presented, which, by the way, has become somewhat standard practice in recent years. Some of the local clergy refused to cooperate and, as a result, Bob's view was frequently misrepresented and interpreted to oppose presentation by local clergy.
Bob Flato was a very religious person and his many community roles and activities were testimony to that fact. The incident, on the other hand, was well covered by the media and your files should have served to support a more balanced and factual article by staff writer Joe Black.
Your headline writers, hidden in the dark Times' catacombs in St. Petersburg, have erred again and should apologize to the many friends and relatives who were offended by this misstatement.
-- Jim Polk, Spring Hill
Thank you for deciding to build much-needed libraries
Editor: I would like to congratulate our Hernando County commissioners for their stand in building new libraries in Hernando, with the population growing from 52,000 in 1984, to 140,000 in 2004, and at present 72,519 residents actively using their cards.
It is interesting in this computer age, that the West Hernando Library had 21,071 patrons in one month, for example, and a book circulation of 34,415 in the same month.
It is heartening to see young and old still reading printed matter and using the system for other uses, such as reference, videos, CDs and the like. At least we get our entertainment money's worth in this area.
-- Arthur R. Croci, Spring Hill
GOP candidates should work to separate their ideologies
Re: Some fair play in partisan politics, Aug. 1 column by Jeff Webb:
Editor: Webb's column, in which he identified the problem of cloned ideology among the field of Republican candidates vying for various political offices within our county, was enlightening.
Principally, Webb suggests that the synchronization of ideological, philosophical and political standards is proving difficult for a would-be informed voter to distinguish one Republican candidate from the next. This is entirely accurate and is a result of the GOP garroting dissent within its ranks to enforce a rigid observance of conservative "talking points."
Normally, political theorum that benefits the average American is cultivated at a grass roots level.
This ideology gains momentum and is then filtered through layers of a political party until a pliable, enactable, policy/philosophy can be incorporated into the political arena, whether it be a piece of legislation or the development of a certain political candidate.
However, what we are seeing from the GOP is a an upside-down version of this explanation. Political ideals are being dripped down from the top of the political ladder and the subservient masses that subscribe to the benefactor of this information then remove the innovative process of developing political values and simply do as they are told with what they are told about.
Republicans will tell us about more freedom and less taxes, but will refrain from telling you that despite having the House, the Senate and the White House under Republican control, they have still increased national discretionary spending by 23 percent. That means more government. They have enacted legislation designed to take away rights; they are responsible for taking the largest national surplus and reducing it to the largest budget deficit in history. They have the worst job creation rate since President Herbert Hoover's administration.
The list of fiscal indiscretions is extensive under the Republicans. Yet, conservatives have managed to convince Americans that tax cuts for the wealthy, corporate welfare and prioritized legislation to help big business, is the mainstream and people who want to represent people are radicals.
Thank God this is a free country, and you can vote as you wish, but given the fiscal and social failures of conservatives controlling most of our governments, I fail to see how the current batch of Republicans eager to control Hernando County's purse strings will be able to separate themselves from ideology that is mired in failure.
-- Jim Webb, Spring Hill
Condolences extended to deputies for loss of police dog
Re: Magnum, honored deputy dog, dies, Aug. 12 Times:
Editor: On behalf of the Humane Society of Hernando County, I would like to extend our condolences to Hernando County Deputy Bill Martinez and the Sheriff's Office on the loss of Magnum.
Through events at The Humane Society and Leadership Hernando, I had the opportunity to witness several demonstrations of Magnum's skill and intelligence. The bond between man and dog was undeniable. What a great team they made.
Our board of directors and staff will be making a donation to the Sheriff's Office to secure another wonderful dog for Hernando County. While we know they can never replace a loving companion in your heart, we can think of no finer tribute to Magnum than to help fill the post he served so well.
We urge other residents with an appreciation for the loyal service provided by Magnum to do the same.
Magnum, you will be missed by all.
-- Joanne Schoch, executive director, Humane Society of Hernando County
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